(Reuters) – British drugmaker GSK said on Friday it will seek to dismiss an upcoming Zantac lawsuit in Florida where plaintiffs alleged the company’s discontinued heartburn drug caused prostate cancer.
The move follows a Florida court ruling Thursday in favor of GlaxoSmithKline and other defendants that threw out expert testimony that ranitidine, the active ingredient in Zantac and generic versions of the drug, was a significant risk factor for prostate cancer in Wilson’s case.
Other defendants include Boehringer Ingelheim, Pfizer (New York Stock Exchange:) and Sanofi (NASDAQ:), which sold the drug at various times.
GSK said the Florida court’s decision mirrors a December 2022 federal court ruling that rejected all expert evidence presented by plaintiffs and dismissed all multidistrict litigation cases alleging bladder, esophageal, stomach, liver or pancreatic cancer.
In June, a Delaware court ruling allowed more than 70,000 lawsuits to proceed, allowing plaintiffs to present expert testimony that Zantac causes cancer. GSK is appealing the decision.
The majority of the more than 74,000 Zantac cases are in Delaware, with four in Florida.
About five years ago, the FDA asked manufacturers to pull the drug from the market over concerns that ranitidine could break down into a chemical called NDMA over time or when exposed to heat.
GSK shares have fallen about 10% since the Delaware decision in June. Analysts have estimated the company’s total settlement costs at about $5 billion.
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